1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a door latch apparatus that closes a door of a vehicle by, when a striker and a latch are in a first engagement state, transiting the state of the striker and the latch into a second engagement state.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of door latch apparatuses are applied to recent four-wheel vehicles. Some of the door latch apparatuses have a function that automatically brings a door of a vehicle having undergone an opening operation into a fully closed state. In this type of door latch apparatus, a latch mechanism is provided with an actuator. When a striker and a latch are brought into a half-latch state by closing the door, the latch is operated in such a manner that the striker is drawn inward by driving the actuator, and the striker and the latch are operated to reach a full-latch state, and, as a result, the door is kept in the fully-closed state with respect to a main body of the vehicle (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3390650).
However, in the above door latch apparatus, it becomes difficult to shift the striker and the latch from the half-latch state to the full-latch state, when a foreign object is nipped between the main body and the door. As a result, a power transmitting system that transmits a driving force to the latch becomes inoperable in spite that the actuator is being driven, and an overload may be imposed on the power transmitting system, which may damage the system.